Easy open device for a carton



Jan. 2, 1968 T. A. MASON 3,351,332

EASY OPEN DEVICE FOR A CARTON Filed June 16, 1967 I NVENTO R 71/0/1145 A.MSO/V 33 sY l-liggr, Czmpmiw J 34 5e ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,361,332 EASY OPEN DEVICE FOR A CARTON Thomas A. Mason, Woburn, Mass.,assignor to Container Corporation of America, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Filed June 16, 1967, Ser. No. 646,545 Claims.(Cl. 22951) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Shaping a corner edge of a cartonby bowed score lines located beneath an overlapping flap or tab adaptedto be lifted to open the carton to expose the free end of the flap ortab for easy gripping thereof.

Opening devices for cartons commonly involved the use of a pull tab ortear strip which, in the close condition of the carton, is in flushoverlying relationship to one of the carton walls. It has beenproblemsome in the past to provide initial gripping of this tab or tearstrip, since it generally is desirable for maintaining a neat cartonappearance to secure the tab or tear strip flush against the one cartonwall almost up to the corner edge of the carton.

This invention relates to a means by which the end edge of the openingtab is exposed to facilitate initially gripping thereof to initiallyopen the carton. The means envisioned by this invention include shapingor depressing the normal corner of the carton by bowed score linesformed along what would be the corner of the carton in the area beneaththe tab. By appropriately sizing and locating the depression relative tothe overlying free edge of the tab, the free edge of said tab can beexposed on both sides to permit easy gripping thereof without projectingbeyond the normal edges of the carton.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improvedopening device for a carton having an opening tab or tear stripterminating at the corner edge of the carton, by providing along saidcorner edge a depression or dimple underlying the free edge of the pulltab or tear strip.

Another object of this invention is to provide the depression or dimplein the corner edge of a carton, according to the previous object, bymeans of bowed score lines instead of the normal line of corner fold,and locating this dimple in underlying relationship to the free edge ofthe opening tab.

These and other objects will be more fully appreciated after reviewingthe following specification, including the accompanying drawing,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a typical carton having a firstembodiment of the subject improved opening means;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view as seen generally from line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a blank suitably cut and scored to provide the cartonconstruction shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views, respectively, of alternatecarton styles using the subject improved opening means.

FIGS. 1 through 3 show a typical carton construction incorporating theimproved opening feature disclosed herein. The carton is a full endoverlap tray style having a bottom wall 12, opposed front and rear walls14 and 16 hinged along forward and rearward score lines 13 and 15,respectively, to the bottom wall, a top wall 18 hinged along score line17 to rearwall 16, and an outer front closure flap hinged along scoreline 19 to top wall 18. In the assembled set-up condition the outerfront wall flap 20 overlaps and is secured by means of 3,361,332Patented Jan. 2, 1968 ice the adhesive 22 to the inner front wall 14.End wall flaps are hinged to the end edges of the various panels and areoverlapped and adhesively secured to one another for closing the ends ofthe carton. The end wall flaps include inner end wall flaps 22 hingedalong score lines 23 to the bottom wall 12, outer end wall flaps 28hinged along score lines 29 to the top wall 18 and tuck flaps 24 and 26hinged, respectively, along score lines 25 and 27 to the front innerpanel 14 and the rear panel 16. The end wall panels 24 and 26 aretypically secured by adhesive portion 31 in flush relation to the innerend wall flaps 22 to form an open top tray.

The disclosed carton 10 is typically opened by lifting the outer frontwall flap 2i and breaking the adhesive bond with the underlying innerfront wall panel 14. Thereafter, the top wall 18 and outer end wallflaps 28 can be elevated and rotated about the score 17. The front flap2i typically has an intermediate score 35 to define a small flap 34which can be folded relative to the main section of flap 20. The flap34- additionally is contoured to provide a projection or tab 35 whichextends substantially to the corner of the carton along score 13.

Normally, the various corners of the carton would be straight and theadjacent carton walls on opposite sides of each corner would be planar.Consequently, it would be, and in fact has been, quite difiicult to gripthe free end edge of the opening tab 36 for opening a carton. Thisinvention provides an improvement in this area by forming and locating aconcave depression or dimple in the normal corner of the cartonimmediately beneath the free end of the opening tab.

It can thus be seen in FIG. 1 that the corner edge of the carton alongscore 13 is interrupted, and the score 13 is discontinued in the areabeneath the tab 35. In place of the score 13 in this area, there arebowed scores 41 and 43 which meet at their ends with the score 13 andwhich define therebetween a concave depression or dimple panel 42. Bybowing the scores 41 and 43 in a concave manner toward one another theinterconnecting dimple panel 42 assumes a generally concave shape in adirection outwardly away from the carton. Additionally, the adjacentwalls 12 and 14 of the carton assume slight outward bulge, as can beseen in FIG. 2.

The tab 36 thus is maintained slightly spaced from the normal planarcontour of the inner front wall 14 because of the convex bulge thereinadjacent the dimple 42, and the dimple 42 itself provides that the freeend of the tab 36 is unsupported although still confined within thedimension of the front wall. Thus, a user of the carton can grip thefree end of the tab on both sides rather easily to open the carton, butthe tab does not project in any direction beyond the normal corner ofthecarton to permit it to be damaged or accidentally snagged on someadjacent object.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show alternate constructions of cartons embodying theimproved opening feature. FIG. 4 shows carton walls 50 and 52 securedtogether in a conventional manner by means of a manufacturers fiap 54hinged to wall 52 and underlying and being adhesively secured to wall50. A tear strip 56 defined by spaced parallel rows of weakened lines 57is formed in the wall 50 and presents a free edge 58 in line with thecorner 59 of the carton between walls 50 and 52. The dimple panel 60 isformed to underlie the free edge 58 of the tear strip 55 by means ofbowed score line 62 formed in wall 52 and bowed score line 64 formed inlap panel 54. The depression or dimple formed across the interconnectingpanel 60 thereby exposes both sides of the free edge 58 of the tearstrip 56 for providing positive gripping thereof to open the carton.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show carton styles that differ only in the manner offorming the removable tear strip. Both cartons are of the conventionalend opening type where a tubular body is formed having endssthat areclosed by means of overlapping flaps. Thus, the end closure includes aninner tuck panel 7% hinged across the dimple panel 72 to carton wall 74,inner end closure panel 76 hinged to carton wall 78, and outer closurefiap it hinged to carton wall 82 (only a part of which is shown). Thedepression or dimple panel 72 is defined by means of the bowed scorelines 71 and 73 formed, respectively, within the panels '76 and 74. Theends of the bowed score lines meet one another at the corner junction ofthe carton.

In FIG. 5, tear strip 84 is defined across the outer panel 80 of thecarton by means of spaced parallel weakened lines 86, and the free edgeof the tear strip 84 overlies the depression or dimple panel '72. Thus,the tear strip can be easily gripped to open the carton. In FIG. '6, theweakened lines 96 for the tear strip 94 are formed along the corneredges of the end closure, so that the entire end closure will'be removedto open the carton. Generally, the particular overlapping panels 7%, 76and 89 are adhesively secured to one another to maintain them in theclosed position shown.

In all of these embodiments, it will be noted that the exposed lift tabis integral with some device for opening the carton. The dimple panelpreferably is formed to underlie the free edge of the lift tab, but canextend beyond the lateral edges of the lift tab (such as in FIG. or canextend at most to the lateral edges of the lift tab and be otherwiseunder the lift tab (such as in FIGS. 1, 4 or 6). Moreover, the bowedscore lines preferably meet one another at locations along the normalcorner of the carton, and these meeting points should be spaced from oneanother by at least approximately /2, but generally not more thanapproximately 3". The separation of the score lines extend at most tothe lateral edges of the lift bowed score lines from one another shouldbe at their I greatest at least approximately A3, but generally not morethan approximately 4". It Will be understood that the dimple ordepression panel should generally be long enough along the normal cornerof the carton to permit a persons fingers to fit within the defineddepression, but should not be longer than necessary since the addedlength materially reduces the structural rigidity of the carton.

The caliber of board used for forming the carton similarly affects thedimensions, with generally a heavier caliber board requiring largerminimum dimensions.

What is claimed is:

1. An easy open device for a carton formed of paperboard and havingfirst and second interconnected walls lying inplanes that intersect oneanother along a line-generally at a corner of the carton, comprising;

(a) said first wall having an inner panel integral with the second walland having an outer panel lapped over and generally secured to the firstwall inner panel;

(b) a pair of bowed score lines extending generally within the firstwall inner panel and the second wall and defining therebetween anintermediate interconnecting panel spaced from and underlying said lineof intersection between the first and second wall planes;

(c) the first wall outer panel extending beyond the first wall innerpanel bowed score line and thereby presenting a free edge over theintermediate interconnecting panel serving as a lift tab; and

(d) means integral with the lift tab for opening the carton.

2. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the means integral with thelift tab includes a tear strip formed across said first wall separablefrom the carton.

3. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the means integral with thelift tab includes that the first wall outer panel can beseparated'andtlifted away from the first wall inner panel, and therebyopen a wall to the interior of the carton.

4. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the bowed score lines extendbeyond the lateral edges of the lift tab.

5. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the bowed tab and areotherwise entirely under said lift tab.

6. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the bowed score lines meet atspaced locations along the line of inter section between the first andsecond wall planes.

7. A carton according to claim 6, wherein the meeting locations of thebowed score lines are separated from one another by at leastapproximately /2", but no more than approximately 3". V

8. A carton according to claim 1, wherein the bowed score lines areseparated from one another at their greatest separation by at leastapproximately /s, but no more than approximately A".

9. An easy open device for a carton formed of paperboard and havingfirst and second interconnected walls lying in planes that intersect oneanother along a line generally at a corner of the carton, comprising:

(a) said first wall having an inner panel integral with the second walland having an outer panel lapped over and generally secured to the firstwall inner panel;

(b) a pair of bowed score lines extending generally within the firstwall inner panel and the second wall and defining therebetween anintermediate interconnecting panel;

(c) said intermediate panel being from and underlying said line ofintersection between the first and second wall planes and lying at anangle relative to said planes;

(d) said bowed score lines meeting one another along the line ofintersection between the first andsecond wall planes at locations spacedapart a minimum distance of approximately /2"; I

(e) the first wall outer panel extending beyond the first wall innerpanel bowed score line and thereby presenting a free edge over theintermediate panel serving as a lift tab; and

(f) means integral with the lift tab for opening the carton.

10. A carton according to claim 9, wherein said first wall inner paneland said second wall are hinged together by said bowed score lines by acorner score line that is parallel to and coextensive with the line ofintersection of said first and second wall planes, and wherein saidbowed score lines interrupt said corner score line.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,162,556 6/1939 Laggard 229-51 X3,071,304 1/ 1963 Brastad 229 -51 X 3,167,238 1/1965 Smith 229 -51 DAVIDM. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner,

